2013

Highlights of 2013:

Second session of VVDFGS survey, AVA statement on animal abuse, several new additions and changes to the SA VC Lexicon of Vampyre Culture and Terminology, “snaggleteeth” fad in Japan, increase in satanic panic hysteria in SA news media, several socials & events in SA VC, formation of the Alternative Religions Forum, physical attack on Logan South “the Vampire King of Austin”, death of Lilith Darkwraith, Pagan community political turmoil, separation of SAPC and SAPRA, launch of the ARF’s STAT document including a detailed section focusing on Vampyre subculture, the Lady Darkrose interviews, changes in the SAVA – the formation of the Shadow Senate, first annual elections for the SAVA Shadow Senate, numerous mentions of vampires and vampyres in crime reports, court proceedings and news articles, St Mary’s University Twickenham offers Vampire Culture degree.

January 09: South Africa – The VVDFGS survey started by the Vampyre Culture Center in 2012, re-opens to gather more statistics. (Article)

January 20: Atlanta, Georgia, USA – the Atlanta Vampire Alliance, a group which many view as being very influential in the VC, releases a statement addressing the humane treatment of animals used for sanguinarian purposes, saying “The Atlanta Vampire Alliance [AVA] does not condone the inhumane treatment of animals used for sanguinarian (blood) feedings under any circumstances. While we recognize the needs of sanguinarian vampires to consume blood, we will not support those who choose to glorify the killing of any animal exclusively for this expressed purpose. We will not support those who make statements about receiving pleasure from the act of an animal screaming, struggling, or in fear of its life. Members of the AVA are not all vegetarians, and we do not take an exclusivist or ideological approach to the killing of common food animals.” The article is posted under the community ethics & guidelines section of the AVA website and circulated throughout the community. (Article)

January 21: Orlando, Florida, USA – A Florida appellate court ruled that killers Rod Ferrell and Howard Scott Anderson will not get a new sentencing hearing. Ferrell and Anderson are serving life sentences without parole for the 1996 beating death of a Eustis couple, the Orlando (Fla.). The convicts were sentenced as juveniles. In 2012 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that mandatory life-without-parole sentences were unconstitutional for juvenile killers, but an appellate court in Miami ruled that the high-court order does not apply retroactively to people already sentenced. In the previous week the 5th District Court of Appeals in Daytona Beach agreed with the other appellate court.

January 22: Media circulates rumors of a potential Vampire Diaries spin-off TV series called “The Originals”, featuring some TVD characters.

January 22: Atlanta, Georgia, USA – in support of the previous statement addressing the humane treatment of animals used for sanguinarian purposes, the Atlanta Vampire Alliance releases a new community guideline entitled “Real Vampire Community Animal Welfare Awareness Statement – An affirmation of vampire community values regarding the humane treatment of animals”. (Article)

January 22: South Africa – The SAVA adopts the AVA guidelines regarding animal use and abuse as part of the local community guidelines.

January 31: South Africa – The SAVCC (Culture Center) announces several new additions and changes to the local Lexicon of Vampyre Culture and Terminology.

February 01: Tokyo, Japan – In the West fang-like teeth are associated with vampires and canine animals, but in Japan, fang-like teeth are the fashion trend among women. Japanese gentlemen are being treated to sexy, crooked, fang-like or “snaggleteeth” smiles by young ladies. The fashion craze is called “yaeba,” and it involves a lady reshaping her pair of canine teeth, making them look pointed or “fang-like.” Japanese men love the “yaeba” smile, and it explains why the trend which, according to The New York Times, first became noticeable in 2011, has not only persisted, but is becoming even more popular in recent times. (Article)

February 02: South Africa – House Valur hosts a private vampire themed party which is attended by 16 people, including local Vampyres and their partners. At “Roaring 20’s With A Hint of Vampire”, period music and decor set the mood, with posters and items on display harking back to the American Prohibition era. Prizes are given to lucky attendees for best costume, and for the winners of a short general knowledge quiz based on a multimedia slideshow that had been running through the event. This is the second such event in what is hoped will become an annual happening in the local Vampyre Community.

February 04: USA – Killer on trial, Josie Arias testifies that she quit school in the twelfth grade and moved in with a boyfriend who lived outside of Yreka, Calif., and was three years her senior. According to Arias, she made the move from her parents’ home because she was tired of the way they disciplined her. Her boyfriend, however, had “wild ideas,” Arias testified. The accused killer said her boyfriend “entertained the belief in vampires” and wanted to move to San Francisco to look for vampires. The press label her boyfriend as an “abusive vampire hunter”. (Article)

February 5: South Africa – News reaches House Valur that the Totum Lex Vampyrica (TLV), the community guideline drafted by the House in 2010, has been in use in some Canadian groups for some time – with positive feedback. The TLV has already been distributed to Spanish-speaking communities in translated form in 2011, and adopted formally in English by the AIVO (Alliance of Indian Vampires & Otherkin) in 2012.

February 5: USA – Tributes to a deceased VC participant, Trinity Black (also known as Trinity Infinity) appear on Lady Zombie’s site and on Facebook. (Article)

February 10: Turkey – Worldwide newspapers report that a Turkish medical journal “claims to have found a real-life vampire in Turkey: a 23-year-old man with an addiction to drinking blood. The man’s name was not revealed by the Journal of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, but the study documents how the man’s compulsion progressed from drinking his own blood to stabbing and biting others and even recruiting his father to bring him goodies from the local blood bank. Doctors diagnosed the man with PTSD and Dissociative Identity Disorder, brought on by witnessing a variety of violent acts throughout his life. They also diagnosed him with multiple personalities, but did not say if one of them was Robert Pattinson.” (Article 1, 2)

February 10: Atlanta, Georgia, USA – Merticus of the Atlanta Vampire Alliance (AVA) releases a new community guideline titled “Demystifying ‘Real’ Vampirism For The Rest Of Us – An overview of modern vampirism for the general public”. The document is warmly received by the community at large. (Article)

February 11: USA – Talk around numerous new vampire movies and TV series spin-offs abounds in media news and gossip sites. Top of the list is “The Originals”, the expected spin-off series from Vampire Diaries, and the movie based on the “Vampire Academy” series of novels called “Blood Sisters”. Also in the news are reports that (due to their current popularity) series like The Vampire Diaries, Arrow and Supernatural have received notice of renewal for the next season, early. (Article)

February 12: Canada – An American film company is reviving a piece of B.C. and Canadian movie history. Nearly 40 years after making a brief appearance — and then being buried — a copy of Sexcula has been unearthed from Canada’s national archives. Sexcula tells the lurid tale of a nymphomaniac vampire, and its plot is reportedly about as transparent as its costumes. A film historian said Sexcula could possibly be the only Canadian pornographic film shot in the 1970s. it was filmed in August 1973 in and around the Lower Mainland, and only screened once in 1974. The making of the vanished film then became an underground legend among local filmmakers: Supposedly, another movie was made about the making of Sexcula, though that too has disappeared. Sexcula’s producer, listed in the Canadian Feature Film Database as “Clarence Frog,” no longer wants to be associated with the film, but he says he made it on the advice of an accountant. He needed the tax credits that were being offered by the Canadian Film Development Corp. to help him out of a $70,000 tax bill. Library and Archives Canada owns the only known print, the unwaxed preservation master copy made from a negative print at Alpha Cine Service Ltd. in downtown Vancouver. An American production company decided to transfer the 4,000 feet of film to a digital format, and release it as a DVD. Impulse Pictures and Synapse Films are making the 86-minute-long Sexcula DVD available starting in April.

February 15: Atlanta, Georgia, USA – Suscitatio Enterprises LLC conclude a VC poll and release the results of the study entitled “Real Life Vampires, Vampirism, & Mental Illness – Suscitatio Enterprises, LLC”. They note: “Sanguinarian and Psychic responses to the VCN poll indicated no statistically significant differences in condition reporting and thus are combined as Total Self-Identified Vampire Response Count (TVC). The same observation was made for the majority of responses to Question 037B (Mental Conditions) of the VEWRS; a sample size three times that of the VCN poll. There was greater variation in feeding method response as correlated to certain Physical Conditions (VEWRS Question 037A) and this will be the subject of future comparison polling.” (Article 1, 2)

February 17: New York, NY, USA – The venerable Court Of Lazarus celebrate their 133rd event.

February 19: South Africa – The Vampyre Academy launches an international VC-wide survey of ten questions focusing on VC participant perception and opinion of the SAVA.

February 26: South Africa – In an article on SA Vampyre News, the results of three recent polls and surveys conducted by the SA Vampyre Academy, relating to the SA VC are analyzed. The results are viewed as generally positive and encouraging. (Article)

February 27: India – A 28 year old woman is admitted to a psychiatric hospital after attempting to kill her two children, who were saved in the nick of time by their father. It is claimed that when she was stopped by her husband, she shouted “I need blood,” ran out to the street and caught hold of a stray dog. While neighbours, who had gathered by then, watched, the woman reportedly cut open the animal’s neck and consumed its blood for a while. Taken aback by her behaviour, her husband first took her to a dargah in Pollachi for treatment. However, as soon as the couple, both daily wage earners, stepped out of the dargah the woman again caught another stray dog and sucked its blood as she had done before. After she was taken home too, she reportedly killed some chickens reared in a cage in their house and drank their blood. As word about her condition spread, people of the locality asked her husband to take his wife and children to his native place. However, he took the woman to the CMCH, where she was admitted to the psychiatry ward. She has apparently been put in a separate cell at the ward. The woman is reported to be under observation. (Article)

February 28:Neta Village, Kenya- Africanseer News & Information Portal posts a hysterical “report” about a ‘hit-and-run’ motor collision, claiming that a “cult” of robed “Satanists” were first to arrive on the scene and instead of helping the injured, began drinking of the victim’s spilled blood. “The cult, made up of several members who were clad in black robes was first get to the scene of a hit and run accident. By the time villagers got to the scene, the cult members were busy ‘drinking’ blood. A reliable source who spoke to our news crew said villagers were left speechless and puzzled. ‘The death of those four children left villagers puzzled especially after the fact that some people had been spotted at the accident scene feasting on their blood. After their burial, Chief Bvute called a meeting where he told people that he would invite a witch-hunter (Tsukamutanda) who would help in identifying the people who were feasting on children’s blood.’ No independent or unbiased verification of this report is available. The article is definitely presented without any evidence and does nothing to assume a stance of impartial professional news reporting, but conveys a hysterical bias and relies on so-called eye-witness statements as “confirmation” of the incident and the ludicrous claims made in it. This article is a sterling example of tabloid publications, which specialize in hate-mongering, sensationalist stereotyping and incitement to fear and hate, appealing to the ignorance of the rural masses who wouldn’t know an actual Satanist if they saw one, both to drive up sales figures and to boost support for local religious fundamentalist churches. (Article)

March 4: Chicago, IL, USA – Death notices appear in the VC for a community participant by the name of Foxy Goat. Elgin Police were investigating the death of a 33-year-old woman whose body was found in her town home early Saturday. An autopsy was planned for Sunday. Police said Lisa E. Koziol-Ellis was a homicide victim, but no suspects were in custody as of Sunday evening. “At this point, we do not know who killed her,” Elgin Police Cmdr. Glenn Theriault said Sunday. “We will investigate every angle possible until we find the murderer.” Police responded to the home in the first block of Garden Crescent Court at 2:30 a.m. after receiving a report of an injured woman, and officers found Koziol-Ellis’ body. Police asked anyone with any knowledge of the crime or who saw suspicious behavior to contact them by dialing 911 or using the city’s anonymous texting system. Residents may send an anonymous tip by texting 847411 and including ELGINPD in the beginning of the text, along with the information. “This process is 100 percent anonymous; the technology removes all identifying information,” Theriault said.(Article 1, 2, 3, 4)

March 14: South Africa – The rapid rise in SRA news reporting in South Africa results in the formation of a group intended to combat SRA misinformation campaigning, and to set the record straight. The Alternative Religions Forum is suggested by Octarine Valur of the SAVA, as facilitator. The concept suggested is intended to bring together representatives of alternative religions, belief systems and subcultures such as Paganism, Satanism and the VC to co-operate on addressing common issues resulting from SRA. The South African Pagan Rights Alliance (SAPRA) joins the group on the same day, and the project takes off with a bang with the participation of Valur, and other activists including Damon Leff, Bronwyn Katzke, and Francisco Fumarola. Within a few days, very few individual Satanists are invited aboard and it becomes increasingly clear through enquiries that there are NO local Satanic movements, groups or representative bodies in South Africa. Together, the ARF decides on undertaking a “paper project” to clarify exactly what Satanism is as a religion versus what SRA claims it is and also versus how SRA portrays other religions as “Satanism”, utilizing what actual Satanic input can be obtained. The paper is intended to be fully endorsed by bodies approached for input and/or review, and distributed freely to global stakeholders and especially to local bodies misled by SRA hysteria in the press. Once complete, the paper is also to be made available as a public website resource. Work on the paper begins immediately.

March 19: South Africa – the MEC for the Dept of Education, Barbara Creecy, unleashes a media storm when media announces that her department has signed an agreement “with faith organizations” to combat Satanism and occultism in schools. This marks a high point for the time, in the recent rise in “Satanic Panic” in the media.

March 23: Philadelphia, Pasedena, USA – The reigning matriarch of the “Order of Maidenfear”, Lupia Sapphowolf, announces that the order is officially defunct. Viewed in context, this is a sad occasion, as the order is arguably the oldest known vampyric order in the world. By 2010 the Order was claimed to consist of over fifty “houses” in North America and Europe, including Saturn House in Philadelphia and Cascabel House in Houston. Saturn House had served as the center for the Order. The Robert Parratore debacle of November 2010 was an unmitigated PR disaster for the group and its matriarch, after which its name – and activities – declined dramatically. It remains unclear what would happen to the member Houses or members of the group.

April: South Africa – Damien Black Raven asks to join a public Vampyre group, is approved and immediately launches a scathing attack on Damon Leff and the SA Pagan Rights Alliance, and asks for Vampyres who share his views to join him. He is warned by Admin that this group is not a recruiting ground for those hostile to groups with which the SAVA has ties. Damien immediately leaves the group of his own volition.

May 4: South Africa – the efforts of Damon Leff and the SAPRA to educate others about the differences between Pagan religion and Satanism, and the differences between these and “media-created Satanism” ie ‘legend tripping’ results in animosity from elements within SA Pagan society who apparently cannot understand plain English when this is explained to them. They demonstrate great prejudice in statements where they indicate that they do not wish to be associated with Satanists and echo many sentiments similar to Christian evangelists, even indicating their belief in the claims made about Satanists. Fay Fand, member of the SA Pagan Council executive, is one who espouses such views. By May 5 she demands that the SAPC withdraw from any involvement in the Alternative Religions Forum, including being listed in terms of credits for contributions or involvement in any form. The SAPC acquiesces in order to retain its membership, and the ARF complies, with SAPRA now the only Pagan voice to represent Pagans in the struggle to educate outsiders against satanic panic hysteria.

May 5: South Africa – Pagan rights activism by the SAPRA in support of the Constitutional right to freedom of religion for all people is misidentified as “associating Pagan religion with Satanism” by Pagan figures such as Fay Fand. The matter comes to a head with two resignations – Damon Leff and SAPRA and also Fay Fand and the Celestine Circle both resign from the SA Pagan Council on the same day. Leff reportedly does so in order to avoid continued assumption that because he and Fonteleve both have seats on the executives of both bodies, they are directly allied. Fand purportedly does so on the assumption that Leff and SAPRA would continue with advocacy as a member of the SAPC (though she would later request for her resignation to be reversed once she had learned of Leff’s resignation). The Convenor of the SAPC, Lady Morgause Fonteleve, announces that due to the organization’s constitutional set-up, it must disband legally and reform. Many do not read the statement correctly and hysteria spreads through the Pagan community as old enemies of the SAPC and SAPRA (and in particular those with personal grudges against Damon Leff) launch into open criticism and attack of all three entities on the assumption that the body is shutting down completely.

May 6: South Africa – A new council of Pagans, “the Council of the Ancient Paths” is established by Damien Black Raven and Marius Silverwolf Heath. The group is laughingly referred to as “COAP” in reference to the political party “COPE”. At first this seems to be little more than a space where Damon Leff and SAPRA haters gather to vent, but soon it becomes clear from the tone of posts made there that the goal of this group is Pagan revolution: to sweep aside the old order of the SAPC and SAPRA and to replace it with their own group. COAP’s Facebook group swells in number to 140 (excluding multiple duplicate profiles belonging to a few of the most vociferous members) within a week. Old enemies of Damon Leff and SAPRA and the SAPC appear to be drawn to the group in droves. Many make sweeping statements which fly in the face of plainly visible evidence to the contrary. The SA VC observes keenly, with some participants who are also Pagan, commenting cautiously.

May 7: South Africa – With up to 52% of Vampyres being Pagan, the recent destabilization of the Pagan leadership bodies has a measurable effect on the VC, with at least one SAVA member appealing within SAVA circles to others to show support for the opposing new group in the Pagan issue. Featuring in these appeals are propaganda that Damon Leff and SAPRA are “enemies of Vampyres” when it is at that time general knowledge that Leff and the Regent of the SAVA frequently work together in projects of mutual interest regarding both communities, and even despite it being general knowledge among SA VC participants that the SAVA and SAPRA are working together in the ARF Project. Internal to SAVA, the Regent makes it clear that the SAVA will not be dragged into any internal Pagan disputes – this is a Pagan issue, not a Vampyre issue. To appeal for calm, and to prevent the turmoil from spreading into the SAVA as well, the Regent releases a statement to this effect. This statement appears to be welcomed by all parties, except possibly by several Pagan Vampyres who seemingly wanted the SAVA to become directly involved. (Article)

May 8: South Africa – Fay Fand requests to rescind her resignation from the SA Pagan Council executive committee, ostensibly on the insistence of the members of her group, the Celestine Circle. Her request is approved and within hours she begins launching personal attacks on Damon Leff and the SAPRA, literally demanding that no further news or material from the SAPRA be allowed on the SAPC site or group, and that Leff remove himself (or be removed by Admin) from the SAPC group altogether.

May 10: South Africa – An announcement by Luke Martin appears on the SAPC group, stating that there will henceforth only be two administrators on the group – himself and the Convenor of the SAPC, Lady Morgause Fonteleve. This confirms that Damon Leff has finally been removed from Admin duty on the SAPC group. Further, all individuals banned from the SAPC group by Leff for whatever reason, are invited to return to the group.

May 11: South Africa – Some public expression of support for the SAPC and the work done by the organization over the years appears to indicate how unaware the Pagan community is in general that much of this work was done by Damon Leff, an activist whose contributions continue to be overlooked, and also for other members of the SAPRA. Luke Martin (SAPC) states publicly in correction: “Please also note that it is primarily SAPRA that does all the work and advocacy for the Pagans in SA, Damon Leff has done more for Paganism in this country than any other person, and that is a provable fact.” A public debate is set between all parties involved for the evening of 13 May.

May 13: South Africa – The SAVA releases an open letter to the SA Pagan community in anticipation of the SAPC debate. The scheduled SAPC debate runs smoothly, with up to 65 individuals in attendance. The groups participating include delegates from the SAPC, SAVA, SAPRA and the Council of the Ancient Paths. Topics discussed include the misunderstandings around Vampyres and Satanists and their alleged “inclusion into Pagan religious structure”. The topic of Vampyres and vampyrism, specifically pertaining to the level of interest apparent to those taking part in the present debate, up to 70% of which appears to have centered around the subject. A separate debate on this topic is scheduled for the 14th.

May 14: La Crosse County, Wisconsin, USA – A man claiming to be a vampire punches a member of the band American Fangs outside La Crosse Center and drives a barricade through a window of the tour bus, according to police reports. Scott Mehtala, 23, told police he was high on heroin when he assaulted a guitarist for American Fangs when he was confronted about smashing the window about 10 p.m. He tried to run but was tackled by another guitarist until police arrived. Guitarist Nik Slimp suffered a chipped tooth and needed stitches, reports state. “I’m a vampire,” Mehtala told police when they asked him what happened. Everyone else, he said, was “a normal.”He whispered to an officer who he considered a “normal” and asked where his tattoos were, reports state. Mehtala then said he was “jumped by vampires,” who were members of the Hollywood Undead, a band also playing Tuesday night at the La Crosse Center. He also told police he felt unsafe, but that he was protected by his “super human hearing,” according to reports. Mehtala had a 0.12 percent alcohol level. He told officers en route to jail that he feared more vampire attacks and said he needed to take a nap in Superior, Wis., where he lives. He wouldn’t believe he was in La Crosse. He faces charges of substantial battery, disorderly conduct and two counts of criminal damage to property. (Article)

May 14: South Africa: The SA VC, Vampyre nature and the community’s association with the local Pagans is the subject of a public debate hosted by the SAVA. The debate is very educational, polite and ends on a high note. This effectively signals the end of the recent resurgence of drama between the Pagan and Vampyre communities in SA.

May 17: USA – Vampire Community News puts out a warning about participants being set up and ambushed for impromptu TV interviews by unscrupulous journalists. “ATTENTION: VAMPIRE COMMUNITY PARTICIPANTS If you or someone you know have posted solicitations on Vampire/Donor websites seeking donors then you should really watch the program that came out earlier this evening on Dateline NBC – it aired nationally in the United States. Chris Hansen and his colleagues contact three unsuspecting ‘real vampires’ who are seeking donors and arrange meetings with undercover reporters posing as potential donors. These vampires are filmed with hidden cameras and then when the undercover reporter leaves the room the ‘real vampires’ are confronted by Chris Hansen and asked questions about vampirism, blood drinking, and how they source blood from humans and animals. Is this an ‘undercover investigation’ or a throwback to his canceled series “To Catch A Predator” . . . “To Catch A Vampire”? There are potentially serious real-world implications to outing individuals as self-identified real vampires to a viewership of close to seven million.” The warning lists several examples. (Article)

May 31: South Africa – A new classification system for Donors in the SAVA is made public in an article on the SAVN. The system is largely attributed to SAVA member Samael Anathan who led the research on the project. The new system features mostly Hebrew and Sumerian words to describe the various forms of Donor, including “Isdae” to describe a Donor, “Isdae Sanguis” (blood Donor), “Isdae Chi” (pranic Donor), “Isdae Eros” (eros Donor), “Isdae Varium” (broad spectrum Donor) and the Leliel, a replacement word for “Kitra”. The motivation for the new system is to add something unique to the South African community cultural experience. In addition to these, several other new terms were added on request from members of the community, including words to represent former members, returning members, hostile individuals etc. The system is announced as having been enacted by the SAVA on the 23rd May. (Article)

May 31: Atascadero, California, USA – According to a police report homicide suspect, Mark Andrews admitted to driving his car to his victims home and bringing a loaded rifle with the intention of killing her. As Andrews walked up to the home the victim opened the door, he then shot her in the abdomen, she fell to the floor, he then immediately pumped the gun and shot her again in the head. In the police report it also stated a possible motive. “He also stated that he took medication for a mental health condition and advised that he felt an “evil” feeling coming from the victim,” stated the police report. However, when we spoke with him, he said only good things of victim. “She was friendly, courteous, outgoing, active,” said Andrews. During the police interview they discovered Andrews was diagnosed with schizophrenia but was not taking his medication. He told police at the time he was hearing voices and believed his neighbor was a vampire. The neighbor said he was leaving small amounts of dirt and flower on her door step. (Article)

June 01: Western Australia – One of Western Australia’s most notorious murderers – a member of the so-called lesbian vampire killers – has made a brazen attempt to escape from Greenough Regional Prison, breaching at least one security fence before being recaptured. Valerie Parashumti, who is serving a life sentence for the 2006 murder of 16-year-old Stacey Mitchell, triggered alarms while climbing an internal fence and was caught as the prison went into lockdown. The Department of Corrective Services said staff responded swiftly to the attempted escape and the prisoner was contained inside the perimeter fencing before being moved to a management cell. (Article)

June: Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape, South Africa – Jesters, an alternative nightclub which was one of the haunts of the local VC for a number of years, closes its doors for financial reasons. The venue is taken over by new owners and becomes “Legends” – a mundane sports bar.

June 03: Turkey – A week after the Turkish government claimed LGBTI people are “immoral” and should be punished as harshly as possible, broad spectrum protests erupt in which Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is depicted as a vampire with blood dripping off his fangs. Turkey’s prime minister rejects claims that he is a “dictator,” dismissing protesters as an extremist fringe even as thousands returned to the landmark Istanbul square that has become the site of the fiercest anti-government outburst in years. Over the past three days, protesters around the country have unleashed pent-up resentment against Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who after 10 years in office many Turks see as an uncompromising figure with undue influence in every part of life. A huge, exuberant protest in Taksim Square subsided overnight, but an estimated 10,000 people again streamed into the area on Sunday, many waving flags, chanting “victory, victory, victory” and calling on Erdogan’s government to resign. Some protesters have compared Erdogan to a sultan and denounced him as a dictator. Scrambling to show he was unbowed and appealing to a large base of conservative Turks who support him, Erdogan delivered two speeches on Sunday and appeared in a television interview. With Turkish media otherwise giving scant reports about the protests, many turned to social media outlets for information on the unrest. “There is now a menace which is called Twitter,” Erdogan said. “The best examples of lies can be found there. To me, social media is the worst menace to society.” (Article)

June 10: USA – Lady Dark Rose of the VC conducts an interview which results in an explosion of newspaper and tabloid articles over the next week, including explicit images and a video of her feeding sanguinely as well as a frank discussion about her 30 years of feeding on human blood. Julia Caples/LDR is 45 and has 2 children, on 24 years old who calls her a leech and a parasite on camera, and a ten year old son who thinks she is the coolest mother ever. In the VC, the interview and articles circulate like wildfire, but few appear to appreciate the bad PR she has created for sanguine Vampyres and Vampyres who have underage children. Numerous hostile comments on the articles represent a risk that exposed Vampyres might lose custody of their children on the accusations of shinai that they are “unfit parents exposing their children to a harmful lifestyle”.

June 11: USA – Lady Dark Rose and her extended family report receiving death threats from religious conservatives based upon vampophobia generated by her interview which has already appeared in different languages in multiple publications. The VC at large expresses sentiments that his should have been expected.

June 12: South Africa – The SAVA expresses concern about the Lady DarkRose media campaign which seems to be focused on attention-seeking behavior rather than on education about sanguine vampyrism. The syndicated interview material from Barcroft arrives in Ghana and a few minutes later in South Africa on the YOU/Huisgenoot/Drum public websites indicating that it may appear in subsequent tabloid print editions.

June 13: South Africa – SAVN publishes an article on the Lady DarkRose interview phenomenon which has generated upset in the community, doing an investigation on Lady DarkRose’s history of media attention-seeking behavior, previous media interview disasters and calling into question some of her claims and statements – but most seriously questioning the involvement of her underage children in her media circus. (Article)

June 13: South Africa – The first report by a participant of the SA VC is received of anti-Vampyre sentiments based specifically on the interview of Lady DarkRose after day one of the news being heard on local SA radio stations.

June 29: USA – White Wolf Games marks the twenty year anniversary of the debut of Vampire: the Masquerade. Marking twenty years since V:tM’s original release in the live action medium, By Night Studios will bring a new edition of Mind’s Eye Theatre: Vampire The Masquerade to the worldwide audience. Since its debut in 1991, White Wolf’s Vampire: The Masquerade game franchise has spawned top-selling video games, comic books, novels, a network TV show, trading card games, a table-top RPG and a live action RPG line. The LARP product is currently played nightly by gamers in over 20 countries. (Article)

July 2: Perth, Australia – After a decade on the run, one of Australia’s most wanted men, Mark Adrian Perry, has been captured and will face a Victorian court in connection with the murder of a self-proclaimed vampire. Shane Chartres-Abbott was gunned down by two men in front of his girlfriend and father outside his Melbourne home in 2003. Police say one man assaulted Mr Chartres-Abbott’s pregnant girlfriend and father while another shot him dead. Police allege the murder was revenge for a 2002 rape. Earlier this year, a court heard that a former police officer, David Waters, and a then-detective sergeant, Peter Lalor, assisted Chartres-Abbott’s shooter to find the escort’s home. Neither Mr Lalor nor Mr Waters has been charged and they have both strongly denied any involvement. The case’s chief investigator told the Melbourne Magistrates Court at the committal hearing in March that there was insufficient evidence to charge Mr Lalor and Mr Waters. Detective Sergeant Steven Cuxson said the investigation was continuing and if sufficient evidence was found, Mr Waters and Mr Lalor could be charged. At the time of his death the 28-year-old male gigolo was on trial for the rape of a female client, who told police he believed he was a vampire who needed to drink blood to survive. Mr Perry, 45, who has long been a police suspect in the case, was arrested at a factory in Morley and the victim’s family have been notified in relation to his arrest. Mr Perry had lived in Queensland, Western Australia and Thailand, police said in 2009 when they announced a $1 million reward for information leading to his capture. He was last seen in Queensland in September 2007, but was believed to be living under a new identity and may have changed his appearance. Two other men were charged over the murder in March 2008 and October 2012 and are serving time in jail. (Article 1, 2, 3, 4)

July 5: Melbourne, Australia – Mark Perry, arrested for ordering the murder of Shane Chartres-Abbot in 2003, appears in a Melbourne court. Press dub him the ‘vampire killer’. He is remanded in custody to face a committal mention hearing in August. (Article)

July 10: UK – A visa help website reveals its strangest applications of the last year – including a self-styled vampire slayer. The South African who claimed he needed to go to Romania to “hunt vampires” for a living was turned down along with a host of other barmy bids to travel around the world. This is apparently at the top of the list at number one. (Article)

July 11: Haverhill, Suffolk, UK – A Vampyre couple living in Haverhill, Suffolk appear in a Barcroft TV segment titled “Vampire Couple Drink Each Other’s Blood” and also in a few newspapers. This comes just a few weeks after the Lady DarkRose incident, also with Barcroft, although the material appears to be just a little better than that, due to the dramatic nature of the couple being interviewed, both living up to the “vampire Goth” stereotype and making controversial claims of “turning”. “When he explained that blood sharing would bring us closer together, I asked him to turn me.” She said. The couple performed the ‘turning’ ritual at 3am. Lia said: “Aro cut himself with a razor and offered me his blood. Then I cut myself and he drank from me too. “Suddenly I felt the energy rushing through me. It was a magical experience – much more intimate than sex.” (Video, Article)

July 13: Poland – Polish archaeologists announce that they have unearthed four “vampire” skeletons.The remains were found with the head placed between their legs; folk tradition held that this burial arrangement would ensure that a potential vampire couldn’t find its head and come back to life. Though an archaeologist told Polskie Radio that “it’s very difficult to tell when these burials were carried out” due to their lack of jewelry or other items that could be dated, they likely occurred long before 1914 — the date of the last recorded “vampire” burial in the country. The skeletons were found on a construction site near Gliwice, in southern Poland, and tests are being conducted on the remains. The Telegraph goes into greater (and gorier) detail about the ritual, which was said to be common in the Slavic region after the advent of Christianity there: Believed vampires would either be decapitated or hanged until their body naturally fell from the head due to decomposition. LiveScience points out that there were other ways to deal with suspected vampires, like using metal stakes to secure the corpse to the ground. Archaeologists in Bulgaria made just such a discovery in 2012. (Article 1, 2)

Portugal: Portugal – Portuguese author Paulo Coelho releases an article entitled (translated into English) “While the world carries on, vampires are stuck in time” discussing, in a poignant and ironic manner, his views on how an immortal vampire would struggle to adapt to a changing word. (Article)

July 14: UK – News coverage of the “vampire couple” who drink each other’s blood out of breakfast glasses, seemingly universally dubbed “lifestylers” by the VC at large, continues into the second week, with similar articles appearing in newspapers and on news sites around the world. It is visibly more muted and less sensational than the Lady Dark Rose article of the previous month.

July 15: Romania – An article appears on Discovery News detailing Romanian plans to market the country using Dracula and vampires as a franchise: “The Romanian government has announced plans to promote Transylvania, a region of the country associated with vampires and Dracula, as their most promising tourist destination. A press release from the Romanian Federation of Tourism and Service Employers noted that “Transylvania can now finally become a tourism destination internationally renowned, with the benefit not only to the tourism in the region, but to our economy in general, to be huge The local authorities in six counties in Transylvania could develop, by using European funds, a regional project dubbed ‘Dracula,’ following a proposal of the mayor in Targu Mures (central Romania). The Dracula brand existed for a long time, we only need to exploit it and wrap it properly and then sell it in a modern manner.” Vampires have been popular for decades in the fiction of Stephenie Meyer, Anne Rice, Stephen King and countless others, though of course the most famous vampire is Bram Stoker’s Dracula, who first appeared in the 1897 gothic novel of the same name.” (Article)

July 16: USA – HBO announces that True Blood, currently in its 6th season, will return for a 7th season in 2014. This is reportedly due to Michael Lombardo, president of HBO Programming, being impressed by the show’s “thrilling” content. “True Blood remains a signature show for HBO, and a true phenomenon with our viewers,” he said in a statement. (Article)

July 18: Covington, USA – The work required to turn fiction into fact in downtown Covington has begun. Renovations have started on the historic Clark Street building used in exterior shots as Mystic Grill on “The Vampire Diaries.” The restaurant is to open by summer. The owners issued a joint statement via email saying they don’t have a firm opening date and that they plan to preserve the historical authenticity of the building. The restaurant will serve lunch and supper, “Southern comfort food with a touch of fine dining”. The building was heavily damaged by fire in 2012 and has been vacant ever since. Part of the historic district, the building was originally constructed in 1906 as home to the Bank of Covington and rose to fame as the exterior of the “Mystic Grill” restaurant as shown in the fictional town of Mystic Falls. (Article)

July 19: Austin, Texas – Logan South, the “King of the Vampire Court of Austin” posts a status on Facebook in which he details how he was attacked by an irate patron evicted from his club, sustaining a head wound as the individual attempted to stab him up to three times with a knife. According to the status post, the patron was evicted for harassing a female employee at the club, before returning and trying to break down the club door. He is also alleged to have assaulted his female companion outside the club. As South and some of his staff escorted the terrified woman to her vehicle, the attacker confronted them, produced a knife and was restrained by South and some of his security staff. It was during this scuffle while awaiting police, that South was injured.

July 21: Austin, Texas – In a weekend marked by posts on his Facebook wall by supporters, friends and relatives of Logan South, it becomes clear that the community there is in a state of shock over the attack by an individual who was not a participant in the Texas VC on the “King of the Vampire Court of Austin”. Meanwhile, it is announced, by the “King” himself, that the attacker has been released on bond and it is immediately clear from the comments that there are fears for his life.

July 29: North Carolina, USA – Locals in North Carolina believe a legendary beast may have struck again in the United States. The Daily Mail reports that a photo of the mangy, dog-like chupacabra was posted online over the weekend after attacks on livestock in Piedmont, North Carolina. Since the legend of the mythical Mexican predator first emerged, there have been reported sightings of the chupacabra all over North and Central America. The Mail reports that the Latin American monster is known for attacking livestock, usually goats. After it has maimed its prey, the chupacabra drinks their blood. The name chupacabra comes from the Spanish ‘chupar’ (to suck) and ‘cabra’ (goat). According to the Daily Mail, descriptions over the years include spikes or quills on its back to hairless dogs with fangs and claws. Scientists believe the creatures are merely coyotes infected by parasites after one animal was discovered last July following a fatal attack on livestock. The first reported sighting was in 1995, when eight sheep were found dead in Puerto Rico with identical puncture wounds to the chest and completely drained of blood. It was their mysterious deaths supposedly spawned the legend of the chupacabra in Latin America, the Daily Mail reports. Months later, the creature was allegedly spotted in north-eastern Puerto Rico where 150 animals perished. Since then, there have been attacks allegedly carried out by the chupacabra across South and Central America, and even into New Mexico and Texas. (Article)

July 29: South Africa: Daily Sun reports that neighbors heard the terrible cries of a woman in a life and death struggle. Through the broken window, they saw the attacker sucking the blood of the dead woman and biting her flesh. The woman’s 19 year old son had come home at about 3am on Saturday morning. It appears that when his mother, Zanele Mayisa (44), opened the door, a fight started. The young man was allegedly armed with a screwdriver and he stabbed her repeatedly. His father tried to help but the teenager overpowered him and hit him with a sharp object. When the father and the boy’s 87-year-old grandmother ran out of the house looking for help, the teenager locked the door. Neighbours who came broke the bedroom window. “We threw rocks at him because we wanted him to stop sucking her blood but instead he just roared like a lion.” A neighbour who didn’t want to be identified told Daily Sun they saw the man sucking the woman’s blood and eating her flesh. “First he ripped her ear off, then moved to her neck and forehead,” said the neighbour. The police were called to the scene and they managed to pull the boy off his dead mother’s body but they could not stop the neighbours from assaulting him. The police took him to the local clinic but the nurses at the clinic refused to help him, saying that they were scared of him because they said he was still roaring. The police took him to the Far East Hospital for a check-up. SAPS provincial spokesman, Lieutenant-Colonel Lungelo Dlamini, confirmed the incident. He said the teenager had killed his mother and neighbours had assaulted him. Dlamini said: “There are allegations he was drinking blood from his mother’s wounds. He is under guard at the hospital and will be charged with murder.” The police are still investigating. (Article)

July 31: The Canadian Collaborative Vampire & Otherkin Alliance announces that long-time VC participant and noteable figure, Lillith Darkwraith, has died. This follows a period of several weeks of uncertainty about her fate after she mysteriously vanished from any of her regular online haunts and activities and did not respond to any attempts to contact her. The CCVOA was a group she supported by her participation, and by mentoring its founder, DC. Lilith was a robust figure in the Canadian VC and the administrator of her own VC network.

August 2: USA – According to entertainment gurus, the reign of the fictional vampire as the number one supernatural protagonist in literature, film and other media, is over. The new candidate for fiction being punted by entertainment gurus is… not werewolves, or ghosts, or witches… but mermaids. Numerous articles discuss how Carolyn Turgeon, writer of the YA mermaid novel Mermaid, argues that “mermaids are replacing vampires, offering us a different sort of fantasy-creature experience, one that’s more sexually ambiguous (mermaids don’t really have genitals) and slightly less dark”. (Article)

August 6: New York City, New York, USA – In an article entitled “Lawyers, doctors, bloodsuckers: The real vampires of New York City… and their fangsmith” accompnained by a video clip entitled “Interview with a fangsmith”, writer Emily Levy gives outsider insight into the world of New Yorks VC, focusing on a meeting of the Court of Lazarus. The article is well received. Notable about the article, is that an email interview with Merticus is quoted, where Merticus sets the record straight about the misleading false information about Vampyres on Vampirewebsite.net, maintained by former VC participant Steve Leighton. “Steve and Vampirewebsite.net are not credible sources of information concerning the vampire community,” he says over email. “There’s no such thing as a Vampire Retro-Virus V5,” he says. “turning people into vampires, rings around the eyes and other fantasy nonsense… We do not identify with fictional characters, supernatural powers or immortality, nor do we have any difficulty distinguishing between fantasy and reality.” (Article)

August 8: UK – In a video clip viewed on TV and posted on the internet, a young Liverpool supporter interviewed by Sky Sports News urged the club to sell Luis Suarez, saying “he’s a vampire who bites too many people”. Based on the people featured in the video, there now seems to be widespread support for the club selling Suarez at the earliest opportunity. (Video)

August 8: Australia – Two men accused of the murder of “vampire gigolo” Shane Chartres-Abbott (2003) have had their trial delayed following the arrest of a co-accused after years on the run. Evangelos Goussis, 45, and another man who cannot be named, were due to stand trial in the Victorian Supreme Court in October, but the prosecution on Wednesday asked for the hearing to be delayed. Prosecutor Andrew Tinney SC said their co-accused, 45-year-old Mark Adrian Perry, was arrested in Perth last month and should be tried alongside the pair. The three men have been charged over the murder of Chartres-Abbott, who was assassinated in Melbourne in 2003. At the time of his death, the 28-year-old gigolo was on trial for the rape of a female client, who told police he had believed he was a vampire who needed to drink blood to survive. Mr Tinney said the prosecution will allege Perry was the instigator in the murder. He said it was in the interest of justice that the three men faced trial together. Justice Elizabeth Curtain vacated the original trial date and set a new date of March 17, 2014. Perry will face a committal mention hearing in the Melbourne Magistrates Court on August 16, but is yet to be ordered to stand trial. (Article)

August 12: South Africa – This period marks a revival in the Houses of the SA VC. In recent times, House Valur remains the most active of recorded local Houses, while it appears that others have gradually faded due to lack of participation. House of Havoc, Order of the Fallen and Coven VDD begin to rebuild by announcing plans to the general local VC.

August 2: Bath, England, UK – The City of Bath College is gearing up for the new academic year with something for everyone on offer. From September, the College will be offering its widest ever range of courses, with a choice of flexible learning options to suit people’s busy lifestyles. The College prides itself on meeting the needs of the community with full-time, part-time, one-day and residential courses available. There are both academic and vocational courses across different ability levels, from introductory courses to learn the basics to advanced courses in practical work skills and training for a number of professions. The College is running firm favourites such as art, craft, photography and cooking, as well as plumbing, woodwork and holiday languages. New part-time courses on offer also include vampire studies, which looks at vampirism in all its forms from cult viewing to real-life cases, and a series of courses on website design. The College, which opened in the heart of Bath in 1892, has around 2,000 full-time and more than 6,000 part-time students. (Article)

August 2: Idaho, USA – An article in Huffington Post catches the attention of the VC, in which a participant in the “Furry” Community (relating to Otherkin and Therians as well as “cosplay”). The post becomes the topic of moderate interest and debate for a few days. The article tells of an Idaho man who was arrested on charges that he sexually penetrated a cat on more than one occasion. Ryan Havens Tannenholz, 28 – allegedly a self-described “furry” who dresses up as a dog he calls Bubblegum Husky, is charged with six counts of crimes against nature, and one count of cruelty to an animal. (Article)

August 16: Mintaka, South Africa – at a private ceremony, House Valur welcomes a new member, Lunah Eir who adopts the name Valur. Lunah Valur Eir her year long apprenticeship to Octarine Valur, the primus of the House, while Orfeo Annimusredomo simultaneously ends what has become a 3 year apprenticeship.

August 29: South Africa – Calls for aid are circulated on VC related groups by Secretary of the SAVA, Lunah Vallur Eir. This is a relief effort by Eir, Calantha and Summer-Jezebel Raine, who ask for donations of food and assistance with accommodation for a family of 5 people who face eviction and being left on the streets. These are hard economic times, and the family home has been foreclosed on by their bank. One of the group is a regular VC contributor and participant. He is one of two siblings in the family who although employed, are unable to cope financially in supporting their entire family.

August 30: South Africa – To the relief of the local community, the family of 5 reportedly made destitute is reported to have found a place to stay, although the new lodgings remain without electric power for some time. Some donations of money, toiletries and other consumables are sent by generous well-wishers locally and abroad.

September 04: South Africa – Additional appeals are made to the general VC for assistance to the family of 5 in Gacrux who have been affected by a bank foreclosure.

September 11: Queensland, Australia – A PhD candidate from James Cook University in Queensland has discovered farmed fish fed a garlic-enriched diet were less susceptible to the monogean flat-worm parasite Noebenedenia than fish that didn’t consume garlic. The parasite has recently plagued fish farmers. But Thane Militz, the lead researcher, didn’t realise the mythical implications of his work until he presented it to a room of undergraduates. At the end, one brought up the vampire link. “That was really the first time I noticed the irony, to be honest; it hadn’t really crossed my mind before then,” says Thane. Although satirical, his recent discovery, published in Aquaculture, carries a lot more significance than a simple cultural coincidence. Over the course of a year, Thane was able to show that after consuming a garlic enriched diet, farm produced barramundi were 50% less susceptible to the harmful Neobenedenia. “This parasite is very unique. It’s one of the few types that infect a vast diversity of hosts —pretty much all bony fish,” says Thane. His work was inspired by the fact that garlic has previously shown to greatly improve the immune system of various fish. Thane thought the appropriate next step was to see if it had any positive medical affects against worm parasites. For a month, he fed the fish a garlic enhanced diet of varying amounts, with a control group of normally fed barramundi. (Article)

September 18: South Africa – The Regent of the SAVA, Octarine Valur, announces that changes to the format of the SAVA are forthcoming. Members are requested to nominate candidates to act as Senators in the new Shadow Senate which will take the place of the former High Council disbanded in November 2012. Members display interest and 7 candidates (Jaco Lazarian von Draco Dravana, Jezebel Strigoi, Kitra Gabriele Draegan Seymore, Nox Kassapu, Rose Dantis, Samael Anathan, and Serephim Lena Karayan) are nominated. The vote begins on 19 September and lasts for 24 hours.

September 20: South Africa – The first Senatorial Election completed, the Shadow Senate is created after an internal election. The first Senators elected for a period of one year are: Jaco Lazarian von Draco Dravana, Jezebel Strigoi, Kitra Gabriele Draegan Seymore, Samael Anathan and Serephim Lena Karayan.

September 26: South Africa – SAVN posts a public announcement of the formation of the new SAVA Shadow Senate (Article)

September 26: Canada – A significant academic paper by Dr. DJ Williams pertaining to real vampirism and the vampire community (subculture) is published in Canadian Social Work; a publication of the Canadian Association of Social Workers. “Social Work, BDSM and Vampires: Toward Understanding and Empowering People with Non-Traditional Identities” by D.J. Williams, PhD appearing in “Canadian Social Work – Volume 15 Number 1, Fall 2013; Pages 10-24“. “Social workers are obligated to embrace human diversity, challenge social injustice, and work to empower vulnerable populations. Two separate, but somewhat related, law-abiding populations that remain hidden due to legitimate fears of marginalization and oppression, including among social workers, are the BDSM and real vampire communities. In an effort to educate social workers who likely will encounter (whether knowingly or not) individuals with BDSM or vampire identities, this article discusses current scholarly literature on these communities and their practices. Suggestions for empowering people who practice BDSM or vampirism are also provided.” (Article)

September 30: South Africa – The SAVA’s new Shadow Senate holds its first meeting.

October 01: Victoria, Australia – A man accused of murdering a Victorian sex-worker who thought he was a vampire has been bailed due to his desperate family situation. The man, who cannot be identified, is charged alongside two other men with murdering Shane Chartres-Abbott who was gunned down outside his Melbourne home in 2003.The man was set free on a $1 million surety posted by a friend and on the condition that he not approach prosecution witnesses. The man had been due to stand trial alongside his co-accused Evangelos Goussis, 45, in October. But the trial was delayed following the July arrest in Perth of another co-accused, 45-year-old Mark Adrian Perry, after years on the run. The trio is accused of killing Mr Chartres-Abbott for allegedly raping and mutilating a female client. Mr Chartres-Abbott’s alleged victim later told police the 28-year-old gigolo had believed he was a vampire who needed to drink blood to survive. Mr Chartres-Abbott was on trial for rape when he was killed. Prosecutor Sally Flynn argued police believed the man may interfere with witnesses in the case against him if released. But Justice Bell said he did not pose a danger to the community and was not a flight risk. (Article)

October 2: Carlsbad, Claifornia, USA – Dress like a vampire this Friday and you’ll get free entry into Legoland California in Carlsbad. The goal is to set a Guinness World Record for the most people dressed as vampires in a single location. The number to beat is 1,039, which set a record two years ago. According to Guinness World Records, Kings Dominion in Doswell, Va., holds the record for the largest gathering of people dressed like vampires. Legoland is using the record attempt to kick off its Brick or Treat program in October, which features treat stations and surprises. (Article)

October 2: USA – A released 1863 image from the Wellcome Trust illustrates a distinctly vampiric set of “Syphilitic malformations of the permanent teeth” – makes you wonder if the visual image of the vampire was inspired by the widespread horrors of untreated syphilis (for an exceptionally visceral window into a society wracked by untreated syphilis, have a look at the Mutter Museum’s display of syphilitic skulls). (Article) (Picture)

October 2: Bulgaria – According to renowned Bulgarian archaeologist Nikolay Ovcharov, rituals aiming to prevent dead people from turning into vampires were practiced in Bulgaria until about 25 years ago. The archaeologist, nicknamed “Bulgaria’s Indiana Jones”, added that only 25-30 years ago in some of the Bulgarian villages there was a special person responsible for sticking the dead bodies with stakes – a ritual aiming to prevent the body from turning into a vampire. Over 100 buried people whose corpses were stabbed to prevent them from becoming vampires have been discovered across Bulgaria over the years. One of these “vampire” skeletons was discovered in 2012 in Bulgaria’s historical coastal town of Sozopol, with the news quickly becoming an international sensation. Another skeleton of a “vampire” was later discovered on Bulgaria’s Perperikon, a 7,000-year-old sacred site deep in the Rhodope Mountains. The latest “vampire” was unearthed September in the Bulgarian Black Sea town of Nessebar. Vampire beliefs from pagan times were preserved by Orthodox Christians in the Balkans during the Middle Ages, when people thought that iron and wooden stakes could be driven into the heart of a dead person to prevent them from becoming vampires. People at the time believed that after dying these persons turned into vampires and tortured and tormented the living, and they drank their blood in the night. (Article)

October 7: USA – Over the years, Army medicine has improved drastically to better improve the survivability of wounded deployed service men and women. A new initiative, known as Vampire Protocol, is an example of such. This new procedure greatly improves the time in which life-saving blood is delivered from the hospital, directly to wounded troops down range. (Article)

October 19: Austin, Texas, USA – The Vampire Court of Austin welcomes you all to our 2013 Austin Vampire Ball! We have the most amazing dancers, Djs and entertainment you’ll find this Halloween season here in Austin, TX. We also have Diminished 7 headlining the event and they are sure to put on an amazing show. We’ll see you all tomorrow, October 19th for the Bad Moon Masquerade at the Austin Vampire Ball! King of the Vampire Court of Austin, Logan South: “This show was in a word…..spectacular! As I was saying, we expected the turn out to be good….but this….THIS WAS HUGE! I can not wait to see what we can pull off next year in 2014! HUGE things are coming for everyone here in this next year!”

October 22: Twickenham, UK – St Mary’s University Twickenham offers Vampire Culture degree. With Halloween just around the corner, it has all gotten a little bit spooky at St Mary’s University in Twickenham. Screen media senior lecturer Dr Maria Mellins recently had her book about London’s vampire community published. Vampire Culture explores the long-standing love affair that women have with the underground vampire subculture and how it affects their daily lives. It is based on empirical audience research and is available to purchase from Bloomsbury. Dr Mellins said: “There is a lot of activity surrounding the gothic at St Mary’s at the moment, which is very fitting to the university college given its connection to the gothic Strawberry Hill House. “The gothic with its vampires, monsters, and imperilled heroines is constantly evolving and being reinvigorated.” And for those who want to take their interest in the gothic to the next level, there is now even a post-graduate degree on offer for students. The university has just launched s masters degree entitled Gothic: culture, subculture and counterculture. The degree focuses on gothic both historically and in the contemporary, drawing inspiration from Horace Walpole’s novel written in and about St Mary’s very own Strawberry Hill House. To find out more about the degree, visit smuc.ac.uk/postgraduate-courses-london/gothic-studies-ma. (Article)

October 26: New Orleans, Louisiana, USA – Cirque du Nuit takes place. “the New Orleans Vampire Association presents Cirque du Nuit, a night of revelry in the world of the dark and unusual, on Saturday, October 26, 2013. A formal ball, formal attire and themed costumes encouraged, and masks are always welcome. Doors at the Prytania Bar (3445 Prytania St., New Orleans, LA) open starting at 8pm.” (Article)

November 1: Mintaka, South Africa – House Valur hosts a Halloween theme party called “Hell’o ween Fangdango”. Due to a double booking at the venue, the time of the event had to be shifted a day earlier. Despite this, turnout and interest is sufficient to plan this event annually thereafter.

November 2: Turais, South Africa – Participants in the local VC host a Halloween theme party at a local club in Durban. The attendees later form Coven d’Eir on 04 November 2013.

November 2: Gacrux, South Africa – Participants in the local VC host a Halloween theme party at a private home.

November 4: Bloemfontein, South Africa – in a user-generated article on News24 called “Vampires In Bloemfontein…” writer Adele Roets essentially mocks the idea of real Vampyres and a Vampyre community in South Africa. (Article)

November 8: Halifax, Canada – The unsettling facts in the case of a man who claimed to be a vampire slayer when he murdered two Halifax men in 2007 leave the court in a conundrum as it appears both sides are on the verge of agreeing that the accused is guilty but not criminally responsible by reason of mental illness. Mark Heerema told a Nova Scotia Supreme Court hearing that Glen Race — diagnosed with schizophrenia in 2001 — should not be held criminally responsible for fatally stabbing Michael Knott and Trevor Brewster because he was too mentally ill at the time. Bloom told the court that even though Race was “gifted” at suppressing his symptoms while in public, he said Race couldn’t have made a rational, moral decision at the time of the killings.Earlier this year, Race’s lawyer, Joel Pink, filed an application with the court to have his client declared not criminally responsible because he suffers from a mental illness that Pink says left him incapable of appreciating that the murders were morally wrong. Race pleaded guilty in September to first-degree murder in Brewster’s death and second-degree murder in Knott’s death. Knott was fatally stabbed on May 1, 2007, in his car while parked near the Citadel Hill historic site in downtown Halifax. Brewster was stabbed and bludgeoned six days later near Frenchman Lake, a secluded spot in a Halifax-area industrial park. Court heard Race believed he was a godlike entity ordered by angels to cleanse the world of sin by killing vampires, demons and, eventually, everyone on the planet. Race was extradited from the United States in October 2010 to face the charges in Halifax after he was sentenced to life in prison for the shooting death of mechanic Darcy Manor in Upstate New York. That murder happened three days after Race killed Brewster. Pink said Race faces extradition to the United States 45 days after Coady hands down his decision. (Article)

November 8: Austin, Texas, USA – Daley Catherine & Logan South of the Vampire Court Of Austin appear on KLBJ on the Dudley & Bob Morning Show (Podcast)

November 9: Hillsboro, Portland, Orgon – Circuit Court jurors in the Portland suburb of Hillsboro took less than an hour Friday to convict a man of murder in the beating death of a girlfriend. The jury found Paul Sanelle guilty in the April 29, 2012, death of 26-year-old Julianne Herinckx, The Oregonian reported. She died of blunt-force injuries to her head and a crush injury to her chest. Washington County Deputy District Attorney Gina Skinner told jurors in closing arguments Friday that Sanelle made it his full-time job to control and manipulate Herinckx and another girlfriend. The women were seen in public with obvious injuries. Defense lawyer Dean Smith said aggressive sparring matches between the two women routinely left them both battered. The lawyer said his client taught the women to work through their emotions in the matches. Smith argued unsuccessfully that the prosecution had not proven Sanelle delivered the fatal beating. During testimony on Thursday, a friend of Sanelle, John Monk, testified that he was unfazed by the bruises he saw on the two women. Monk said he knew the bruises were from Sanelle’s defense training and sword-fighting rituals. Monk testified that he and Sanelle shared interests in many topics: herbs, martial arts, politics, government collapse, anticipated difficulties in society requiring food and weapons preparedness. At one point Thursday, the newspaper said, lawyers for both sides asked Monk whether Sanelle was a vampire. He said he couldn’t be sure. “I can’t say indisputably that he’s not,” Monk testified. “But I’ve never seen him act on that if he was.” Monk, who is 30 years older than Sanelle, distinguished between “energy vampires,” which he said drain people’s energy and “blood vampires,” which drain blood. “I know energy vampires when I see them,” he said. “But other than that, I have not seen a blood vampire.” Some of his friends are energy vampires, Monk said. “Energy vampires are more common,” he said. “I don’t have any figures on that, but I do know there’s a lot of them.” Chief Deputy District Attorney Roger Hanlon asked, any idea of how many blood vampires there are in Washington County? “No, I’ve not physically encountered one,” he said. Do you have a friend who’s an elf? Hanlon asked. “Oh, yes,” Monk said, referring to someone named “Badger,” who was described as tall and thin without pointy ears. Everyone has a different reality, Monk said. “Oh, I’m definitely in a different reality from the two of you,” he said referring to the attorneys. “One, I doubt that you guys believe in the other realms that exist because you’re lawyers. Most lawyers I’ve found only believe in what they can see and touch.” Monk went on to talk about the powers that some people possess. “I can teleport to realms,” he said. “Actually it’s astral projection. You’re just moving your soul.” (Article)

November 15: Victoria, Australia – A woman raped by a self-proclaimed vampire gigolo claims her ex-boyfriend bragged about shooting him dead, using his fingers to imitate a gun firing as they sat in a Melbourne bar. Mark Adrian Perry, 45, is charged with murdering Shane Chartres-Abbott who was shot outside his Melbourne home in 2003. Perry’s former partner, who cannot be named, told the Melbourne Magistrates Court Perry vowed to get Mr Chartres-Abbott as retribution for an attack on her. Mr Chartres-Abbott, 28, was working as a male escort at the time of his death and was on trial for raping and biting off part of the woman’s tongue. After the attack, she told police Mr Chartres-Abbott believed he was a vampire who needed to drink blood to survive. The woman claims that Perry confessed to the murder years after the shooting. “We sat inside the pub, and after saying hello (Perry) whispered to me `I am the one who shot him’,” the woman told police in a statement tendered to the court. “He said that he put his arm around the guy’s neck then shot him in the head. “He showed me by putting one arm around his neck and with the other hand he made a gun sign out of his fingers and pointed at his head.” The woman told Perry’s committal hearing that he had told her before Mr Chartres-Abbott was gunned down that “something needs to be done about this guy”. Police allege Perry murdered Mr Chartres-Abbott as revenge along with co-accused Evangelos Goussis, 45, and another man who cannot be named. Perry has pleaded not guilty to murder. He was arrested in Perth in July after six years on the run. Magistrate Elizabeth Lambden on Friday found there was sufficient evidence for a jury to convict Perry and ordered him to stand trial. (Article)

November 19: South Africa – The SAVA’s new Shadow Senate holds its second meeting.

November 20: OVC – The Dark Nations advertises within the VC for new administrators. (Article)

November 20: OVC – The Voices of the Vampire Community (VVC) holds another public meeting of its members who are influential participants of the international Vampyre community. (Transcript)

November 25: USA – The Voices of the Vampire Community (VVC) releases the collected responses to the Vampire Community Reformation Questionnaire (Article)

November 29: South Africa – Work begins on a new set of “how to” manuals to be made available to members of the SAVA focusing on energy work, energy feeding and other necessary skills useful to a young Vampyre community. These are to be a collaboration between Amon Ra-Aset and KemSekhmet Ba-enAset Nebethet-Heh of the Order of Khepe-Ra in Avior, and Samael Anathan in Gacrux who will be responsible for all illustrations. The anticipated tome is to be edited by Octarine Valur. The manuals are intended to be ready for release during 2014.

November 30: Abule Egba, Lagos State, Nigeria – There is pandemonium at Abule Egba, Lagos State Friday when a Junior Secondary School three student of Best Steve College, Laolu Ladipo, stabs his classmate in the head shortly after school hours. He is stopped from escaping by passersby after recovering from the shock of the incident. According to sources, Ladipo had been expelled from four other schools, with Best Steve College as his fifth secondary school. His classmates confirmed that he brings different types of knives to school. Another student also said that: “Ladipo had been saying for a while before the incident that he wanted to drink blood. He claims to be a vampire who is thirsty for blood!” A teacher of the school also described him as “a very stubborn and troublesome lad”. An eyewitness narrated: “When Ladipo’s mother and elder brother arrived at the scene of the incident, they descended on one of the teachers of Best Steve College, accusing her of attacking their son and brother during the incident. “The mother was bent on not allowing the police officer present at the time of the incident take the boy away. “She said the police must produce a warrant of arrest before taking her son away. “She said the incident would be settled amicably without the involvement of the police.” The eyewitness added that it took the intervention of another police officer before Ladipo could be taken to New Oko-Oba Police Station. The stabbed student was rushed to a nearby hospital. (Article)

November 30: Bangkok, Thailand – Malaysian Digest publishes an article headed “Vampire Transvestites”. Harian Metro media reports that a group of Thai transgender females (incorrectly described as “transvestites”) are “dominating” areas of the city. They are referred to as “vampires” since they “often act violently by scratching and biting authorities who try to detain them.” A picture accompanying the article showing several of the women looking for clientele, is subtitled “‘Vampire’ transvestites looking for ‘prey'”. Deputy Assistant Director of Perak Immigration Irwan Zahid says the transvestites’ activities are under the authorities’ surveillance with operations and arrests being made from time to time. According to the article, “different approach were used by them to lure their customers, including exposing themselves to show that they have undergone gender transformation surgery.” The article angers some participants in the SA VC, generating comments such as these: “They are not “transvestites.” They are transgender women, obvious! They have had sexual reassignment surgery and are fully female.. They are not “vampires” either. This is just sensationalism and bigotry, not to mention stupidity. Transgender/transsexual sex workers. You can find them in every large city. Some do it to pay for surgery, others because they can not get a normal job.” (Article)

December 1: South Africa – A new alternative lifestyle online magazine called AltSA publishes an interview with VC participant Rose Dantis. The article is unpopular within the local community who view the article as an injustice to the subculture. (Article)

December 2: South Africa – Octarine Valur (Regent of the SAVA) sends a letter of complaint to the Editor of AltSA. The letter also appears on SAVN. Several exchanges take place during the next few days, with the key-point of the issue being that AltSA did not live up to an agreement with the SAVA to provide the SAVA with a preview of the article before going to print. (Article 1, 2)

December 2: Italy – Horus Sat, widely recognized as a leading figure in the Italian VC, is interviewed by an Italian media concern and appears in Rimini Today. (Article)

December 2: Moorhead, Minnesota, USA – For six months, a trucker from Utah allegedly held a 19-year-old woman captive and sexually abused her while making deliveries around the country. ” … Court papers outline the extent of the control the woman claimed Vafeades exerted over her, with him going so far as filing down some of her teeth with a Dremel power tool and making her wear dentures over her real teeth, which he thought looked crooked. The woman told an investigator with the Clay County Sheriff’s Department that Vafeades had several pairs of dentures for himself that he kept in the truck, including a set with two front teeth sharpened into vampire fangs. She said Vafeades is obsessed with vampires, so much that he named his trucking company, Twilight Express Trucking, according to court papers. … ” (Article)

December 4: Kenya, Gilgil – Residents of a Village in Gilgil are in shock after a man went berserk and slashed his five year old son and drunk his blood. Shock and anger gripped residents of Karunga village after the bizarre incident only witnessed in horror movies. The ‘vampire’ was rescued by police after members of the public set on him. The minor who was nursing injuries on various parts of the body was admitted in a local health centre as area residents tried to come to terms with the incident. According to a witness Monica Wambui, the man used a knife to slash the minor in various parts of the body before sucking the blood. The neighbour said that this was not the first time the minor had been spotted nursing injuries on various part of his body. “The mother stumbled on the father licking blood from a fresh wound on the back of the minor and she raised the alarm,” said the witness. She added that the mother had on previous occasions questioned the injuries inflicted on the minor but the husband had warned her not to report the incident. Gilgil OCPD Serah Koki confirmed the arrest but was quick to deny that the suspect had been drinking the minors’ blood. She said that initial investigations indicated that the suspect attacked the minor using a sharp object after a domestic row. “We have had rumours of blood sucking and this is untrue but investigations are going on over the incident,” she said Koki added that the suspect would be arraigned in court facing various charges as investigations into the incident continued. In the village, the locals threatened to lynch the suspect if he was bonded by the court terming the incident as inhuman. “This is one of the worst incident in this area and we shall teach the suspect a lesson if he is released by the law courts,” (Article)

December 6: South Africa – SAVN announces the launch of a new VC group. Based in Turais Halo, Coven d’Eir starts off with 5 members, led by Lunah Valur Eir, who is the currently serving Secretary for the Regency of the SAVA. The group, formed in early November, has already hosted a successful Halloween event of its own in their area. (Article)

December 10: Texarkana, Texas, USA – An actress who has appeared in “The Walking Dead” and “The Vampire Diaries” pleads guilty to sending ricin-laced letters to U.S. President Barack Obama and outgoing New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Shannon Rogers Richardson was arrested in June (13) amid allegations she sent three ‘poisoned’ notes to Obama, Bloomberg and his colleague Mark Glaze, threatening harm if they continued to push for tougher gun control laws. The actress, who also goes by the name Shannon Guess Richardson, originally tried to pin the blame on her estranged husband, Nathaniel Richardson, who filed for divorce in June (13), but she has now taken responsibility for the crimes. Richardson entered the guilty plea on Tuesday (10Dec13) in Texarkana, Texas. (Article)

December 10: USA – A post from Vampirism Forum is advertised on VC groups across the OVC, headlined “Father Sebastiaan copying Aset Ka again”. The article discusses the Aset Ka’s views of OSV/Sanguinarium material, and leads to a week-long discussion across the OVC on the topic. The author of the piece also refers to the investigative journalism piece on Father Sebastiaan by Octarine Valur from December 2012. (Source, Article)

December 11: Ottawa, Canada – The term “poz-vampire” emerges, meaning a person infected with HIV (HIV-positive) intentionally spreading the disease. The Ottawa Citizen leads with the story “‘Poz vampire’ Boone back in court seeking release from segregated cell – HIV positive man awaits sentencing on charges of attempted murder for trying to spread disease”. An HIV-positive Ottawa man who tried to kill his sexual partners by infecting them with the disease wants out of solitary confinement after spending nearly 200 days without a cellmate. Steven Boone has been housed in the Ottawa-Carleton Detention Centre’s segregation unit since May 29 and says he’s being unlawfully detained. In an application filed in court, Boone alleged he has never been provided a reason for his placement in segregation. The 32-year-old self-described “poz vampire” – an HIV-positive person who has a goal of spreading the virus – was convicted last year of three counts of attempted murder for trying to kill unsuspecting sex partners by not disclosing or lying about having HIV. He was also convicted of other charges, including three counts of aggravated sexual assault and two counts of administering a noxious substance, his semen. Boone has been in jail for more than three years, most of that time at the OCDC. In the affidavit, Boone says his requests to be moved and given a cellmate have been denied without a reason, except being told by jail officials that it would never happen and “you should know the reason.” The individual is evidently not a self-identifying Vampyre, nor related to the VC in any way and the use of the word “vampire” is purely coincidental. (Article)

December 12: South Africa – The Regency of the SAVA announces a requirement for a volunteer to write regular opinion pieces for the SAVN as a VC political analyst covering the Shadow Senate meeting transcripts and other community developments. No time-frame is announced. The Regent’s vision for this is someone giving an independent objective and constructive viewpoint on any matters affecting the SA VC, or the VC in general. “What we need is an outside viewpoint, someone who doesn’t necessarily feel obligated to be a “yes-vamp” or afraid not to toe the “party” line as it were. The individual WILL be allowed to write anonymously or under a different name if they so desire. Please consider this a genuine initiative from the part of the Regency to encourage free and independent thought – but above all, thought about our community, its needs and whether community organizations (such as the SAVA) are meeting these needs.” Together with that, the focus of the job will also cover how the community itself is rising to assist community organizations. There is also room for a cartoonist (something like “Zapiro”) who is willing to create thought-provoking cartoons for use on SAVN in a similar context. The local community is urged to consider this an encouragement for the SA VC to express its opinion openly and without fear of recrimination from the Regency. “As a demonstration of our good intent, and to show that there will be no censorship of the articles written, said volunteer will be encouraged to cross-post their articles on their own independent blog site as well as on SAVN.”

December 12: Georgia, USA – In an incident verging on the surreal, Entertainment site Perezhilton.com reports that Vampire Diaries actor Ian Somerhalder “probably scared the bejeezus out of some innocent bystanders at the gas station!” The actor stopped to pump some fuel into his car on Tuesday night, and he was “probably in such a rush to leave The Vampire Diaries set that he didn’t wash all the blood make-up off his face!” Ian is reported to have posted the photo accompanying the article and captioned the picture: “Scared a bunch of people accidentally at a gas station today. Damon was a little bloody…” (Article)

December 12: Red River Weigh Station, Moorhead, Minnesota, USA – Another incident holding potential embarrassment for the VC, known as “the Vampire Trucker”. One of the thousands of trucks inspected at the Red River Weigh Station this year is a nondescript 18-wheeler driven by a bald, middle-aged man named Timothy Vafeades. A 19-year-old woman is traveling with him. The pair had been hauling freight through various states for six months, but it isn’t until they stopped at a Moorhead weigh station on Interstate 94 that authorities learn that Vafeades is holding the woman captive as a sex slave. Inspectors at the weigh station check Vafeades’ driver’s license, a step mandated by federal regulations, and realize a protection order barred him from being with the young woman, who is a relative of his. After more investigation, the woman reveals the extent of the abuse, both physical and sexual, court documents state. Vafeades is subsequently booked on charges of kidnapping, false imprisonment and domestic abuse. “He was one of these people that talks a lot to distract you,” said Cindy Harms, a commercial vehicle inspector who dealt with Vafeades. As he chattered, Harms could see his teeth had the appearance of vampire fangs. The young woman, meanwhile, stood quietly by the counter, avoiding eye contact. When inspectors ask her questions, Vafeades answers them for her. The whole situation does not sit well with Harms. At Harms’ urging, officials took a second look at Vafeades’ record, and saw that the trucker had a lifetime protection order against him. The order, issued in Florida in 1999, prohibited him from having contact with the woman. The reason for that order is still unclear to local authorities. In light of the protection order, officers arrest Vafeades, and the woman is taken to a local shelter, court documents said. Investigators with the Clay County Sheriff’s Department interview the woman and learn her ordeal started after she made contact with Vafeades, who had last seen her when she was a girl, in the hope of building a relationship with him, court documents stated. In May, she left her home in Florida and went to Salt Lake City, expecting to help with his trucking business. But once she arrived, he began sexually abusing her and forced her to ride in his semi, court documents said. She told investigators every two to three days, he made her give him a full-body massage and have sex with him. At truck stops, Vafeades required her to hold his hand and would become angry if he thought she had made eye contact with others, so angry he sometimes hit her after they returned to the semi, court documents stated. The woman alleged Vafeades’ controlling behavior reached the point that he filed down some of her teeth with a power tool and made her wear dentures over her real teeth, which he thought looked crooked. She told investigators he had several pairs of dentures for himself that he kept in the truck, including a set with two front teeth sharpened into vampire fangs. She claimed Vafeades was obsessed with vampires, so much that he named his trucking company, Twilight Express Trucking, a nod to the series of vampire novels, according to court documents. On Thursday, Vafeades was still in custody at the Clay County Jail. His bail is $500,000 with conditions and $1 million without. His next court hearing is set for Dec. 23. (Article)

December 12: Minnesota, USA – An article appears on The Daily Beast giving some background on the “Vampire Trucker” case in the context of his connection to the VC. “Inside the case that rocked the vampire community”: Timothy Vafeades, who has a history of domestic violence, is charged with holding a relative captive in his truck for 6 months. The Vampire Trucker, 53-year-old Timothy Vafeades of Utah, acquired his nickname along with worldwide attention because he christened his company Twilight Express Trucking and was found to possess fang dentures when he was arrested earlier this month. He is said to have partly filed down his 19-year-old victim’s teeth with a power tool and ordered similar false fangs for her during the 6 months he held her captive in the cab of his truck. Vafeades moved to Morgan, Utah and started a one-truck shipping firm. He called it the Twilight Express Trucking, no doubt in tribute to the series of books and movies. As the name of the firm suggests, Vafeades had grown obsessed with all things vampire. He became one of a remarkable number of people who have acquired artificial fangs, like those produced by Dnash and others. According to police, Vafeades placed himself apart from the vast majority of fang fans after a 19 year-old female relative came to see him from Florida with the notion of assisting him with his trucking business. Vafeades allegedly kept her captive in his truck cab for 6 months, periodically sexually assaulting her and refusing to let her out even to use a bathroom. He had a set of fangs on order for her. The poor soul’s torment only ended after a trooper at a Minnesota weigh station noted that she had a blackened eye and was generally in terrible condition. A check showed there was a warrant for Vafeades’ arrest, apparently related to the Florida domestic violence charge. There also proved to be a court order forbidding him from ever having anything to do with this particular relative. (Article)

December 22: Albequerque, New Mexico, USA – A man is accused of stabbing his 12-year-old step-son multiple times. The boy is still in the hospital with critical wounds, but is expected to survive. A family claiming to be close to the boy’s mother, said the step-dad had bizarre behaviors. They also claim the suspect, Avelino Chavez, who goes by “Pete,” had a drinking problem. Priscilla Cordova, who lives near the victim’s apartment, said the boy’s mom was at work when police said his step-dad stabbed him several times. When police surrounded the apartment Friday night in northeast Albuquerque, Cordova thought her friend was hurt, referring to the victim’s mother. However, Chavez is now charged with child abuse resulting in death or great bodily harm, accused of stabbing his 12-year-old stepson multiple times. Cordova said she talked to the boy’s mom Saturday, and learned the 12-year-old has stab wounds on his chest, shoulders and back. Cordova claims Chavez would get into arguments with the boy’s mom. She said the 12-year-old’s mom had just started a new job Friday, and was at work when the crime allegedly happened. Cordova’s 11-year-old son said the injured boy is his best friend. “We go to school together, we play together, we play video games together, we go outside together, we go to our friends houses together,” said Zachariah Jaramillo. Jaramillo said his friend didn’t get along with his step-dad, and claims Chavez often acted strangely and said bizarre things. “He thinks he’s a vampire. He thinks he’s a real vampire,” said Jaramillo. “He’s serious.” Despite the comments, the family said they’d never seen Chavez get violent. The victim’s neighbors said the couple has had a tough time since they lost their baby to sudden infant death syndrome a couple years ago. Online court records show Chavez has a prior DWI charge and several domestic violence arrests dating back to 1996. (Article)

December 23: Swaziland – Neighbors of a man who claims to crave human blood, Bongani Maphanga (arrested for assault) have alleged that he does not attend church beacause he feels as though he is being burnt each time he is in church. “Maphanga is currently in custody after he was denied bail on charges of biting a woman. His neighbour at Fairview, where the young man resides, Thuli Dlamini said Maphanga had been invited to church on numerous occasions but refused. “After he came to stay around the area, we would jokingly invite him to church on Sundays, just like you would tell any other person on your way to church and he would flatly refuse. It was never a call for concern though because other people simply do not go to church, not because they have issues but because they were not raised that way. “It was only one day when he said he felt as though he was being burnt inside a church and would not step foot there, which got us worried,” she said. She said following the latest developments they were now suspecting that he had been bewitched, or was part of a cult. She said they suspected that he was possessed with devil worshiping or Satanists spirits because such behaviour was not normal.” (Article)

December 27: Swaziland – Bongani Maphanga (20) of KaKhoza, an alleged vampire, was arrested two weeks prior to the news report, is reported as having confessed to craving human blood. The Swazi Observer reports that “he was denied bail again by Magistrate Dumisa Mazibuko and spent his Christmas at the Zakhele Remand Centre.” This follows his alleged pouncing on an innocent bystander and attempting to sink his teeth into her neck to drink blood. Maphanga appeared before the Magistrate for his remand hearing on Christmas Eve, where he had expected to make a successful bail application. He had in his previous appearance informed court that he desired to be released out of custody on bail. According to the charge sheet, the accused is alleged to have intentionally assaulted Lucia Nyamane by strangling her and fracturing her collarbone with his bare hands. He is claimed to have stopped Nyamane who was on her way to Sobhuza Clinic and told her that he was hungry. Without warning he attempted to plunge his teeth into her neck as he wanted to drink human blood which he stated in court that he sometimes craved. “Your worship, I sometimes have this overwhelming feeling that overcomes me and makes me want the taste of human blood in my mouth,” he had informed a shell shocked Magistrate. Magistrate Mazibuko did not forward any reasons why the offender was being denied bail but rather remanded him back into custody until next Tuesday, which will be New Year’s Eve. (Article)

December 30: Paris, France – French police have arrested a 22-year-old who said he killed a homeless man in a northwestern Paris suburb and drank his blood. Police and judicial sources said the man was arrested early on Sunday morning in Colombes, which is located near La Defense, Paris’s business district. The victim, whose throat was slit and whose corpse bore multiple stab wounds, was found in an underground parking lot. He was a French national aged 49. “The accused claimed to have drunk the blood of his victim but we have nothing at present that can back this up,” a police source said. The suspect had bloodtstained clothes and had been taken to hospital for an injury. According to the investigators, the victim told a passersby he had committed a murder. During questioning by police, he repeated the statement in English. Investigators said the man could be Lithuanian but added that they were checking his nationality as he did not have his passport or any identity papers on him. (Article 1, 2)

December 30: USA – In an article entitled “Real Estate For Vampires And Zombies”posted by Ourbroker.com on December 30th, 2013 writer Peter G. Miller describes Vampire REOs and zombie foreclosures as the two most-graphic housing casualties of the foreclosure meltdown in the USA. Forms of real estate first identified by RealtyTrac Vice President Daren Blomquist, these strange properties are likely alive and very well in your community, indeed — they may be right down the block. “Essentially, vampire REOs and zombie foreclosures represent gaps in the foreclosure process, points where the system doesn’t work. Vampire Real Estate: Vampire REOs are homes which have been foreclosed, sold at auction and are now owned by lenders. Although owned by a lender the real estate actually still occupied by the original owners and may actually look like any other nearby home, complete with a mowed lawn and bright lights at night. Why does the lender permit the continued occupancy of the property without rent or mortgage payments? Basically, the lender figures that it’s better off with the owners in place because they keep away vandals and protect the property — at least until prices rise and it becomes possible to sell the property for enough to reduce losses on the loan and perhaps even break even.” (Article)